MMAJunkie's Ben Fowlkes asks where WSoF can fit into the national or international MMA landscape, given the dominance of the UFC. As a starting point, he notes that Andrei Arlovski was wearing UFC gloves in his WSoF main event, which illustrates the problem almost too perfectly.

Just three fighters on the main card, Marlon Moraes, Tyson Nam, and Justin Gaethje had never appeared in a ZUFFA owned show.

Both main event fighters rose to prominence in the UFC, as did welterweights Josh Burkman and Aaron Simpson. And when Burkman won big, it was announced he would be fighting Jon Fitch next. Fitch too of course made his name in the UFC; and he already fought Burkman, in the UFC.

This is a problem not just for the World Series of Fighting, but for any organization that tries to cobble together its own product using UFC castoffs. The perception, whether right or wrong, is that these are fighters who are past their expiration date. They come with some baggage, even though that baggage is the same reason why they're main card draws to begin with: We saw them in the UFC. In most cases, we also saw why they aren't in the UFC anymore. Making them the stars of the show in a new fight promotion only furthers the perception that we're watching imitation UFC, a cheap knockoff brand for the kids whose parents won't buy them the real thing.

How do you draw a crowd without the UFC's leftovers? And, if you can't do that, how do you put those leftovers to work without drawing unflattering comparisons to the world's No. 1 MMA organization (especially if the product you put on TV is littered with flubs and missteps)? If you can't do either one, then how do you carve out a lasting niche that will keep you from falling into an early grave beside the likes of Affliction and the IFL?

They should just try and make it the MMA version of ESPN's Friday Night Fights and the NBC Sports Boxing shows. Neither of them is trying to be HBO World Championship Boxing and they make no illusions about that. Just try and put on entertaining cards, at smaller venues, with reasonably priced fighters.

MMA will NEVER reach it's TRUE potential until there is more then one organization then just UFC....so many people don't bother fighting cuz of this also due to the bans in ALOT of states....alot more talent would be in with these things fixed.

Phil Cornelius - MMA will NEVER reach it's TRUE potential until there is more then one organization then just UFC....so many people don't bother fighting cuz of this also due to the bans in ALOT of states....alot more talent would be in with these things fixed.

This is such a self-pump article. Why is this even a question - there is certainly enough interest, just keep to an honest budget.

UFC by and large uses a 2 losses in a row and you are cut policy. A lot of good talent gets cut with that. And as they pump women into their roster, even more good talent is going to fall in the cracks. Its almost as if they are letting fighters go according to "rankings". Dana admits this tacitly himself - fans watch fights for more than "ladder" rankings. They watch for entertainment, almost preferentially.

Would fans watch great fights by talent who got cut by the UFC? Absolutely...look at Nick Diaz in Strikeforce.

Can fighters get let go by the UFC and eventually be extremely relevant again? Oh yah - Matt Serra, Nick Diaz, Dan Henderson, Paul Daley. I predict Che Mills and Matt Riddle to have a number of amazing fights in their future.

1.- Get some international talent. I'd be flying a plane to Dagestan and fill it with fighters... BUILT your own LEGENDS... that takes us to the second point

2.- Copy Pride FC tournament model. One champ based in teh "traditional" ranked mode and one yearly tournament champion in three events. Make the tournament some sort of weight-catch tournament to favor fights that won't be happening in "regular" championship.

4.- Increase the production value. Don't be shy. PrideFC adapted japanese wrestling visual model and it has been remember for his production value. MMA isn't baseball, no shame in adapting some wrestling stuff like PrideFC did. ...Your production has to be EPIC(and no, by epic I don't mean gladiators and skulls....) hire some holywood people or some japanese guys. Spend your money.

5.- Get a good TV deal with international broadcasting. There's plenty of interest in MMA in some countries with people that can't afford an UFC PPV. PPV in spain for a Madrid Barça is 12€. No one will spent 40€ in an UFC event but I have no doubt that an organization having their showed aired here will get some attention. Same happens to lots of european, african, south american and asian countries. Football is the most economically valueable sport in the world and he has developed without PPVs.

6.- Spot talent. Create and invest money in amateur circuits. Create some strong base. Be active working with the base of the sport. Spot and forge talent actively. Be the first to sign.. you can't live on what other orgs are leaving behind.

Fuck that joke of a "reporter" Ben calling FIGHTERS "castoffs". He is just another SHILL repeating what the Zuffa PR people tell him to say.

Fuck you Ben, why don't you get in the cage against Andrei and AJ and call them castoffs? If you want to say they where once with the UFC or Zuffa then call them "former" exclusively. Using the term "castoff" is incredibly derogatory and disrespectful.

Haulport - Fuck that joke of a "reporter" Ben calling FIGHTERS "castoffs". He is just another SHILL repeating what the Zuffa PR people tell him to say.

Fuck you Ben, why don't you get in the cage against Andrei and AJ and call them castoffs? If you want to say they where once with the UFC or Zuffa then call them "former" exclusively. Using the term "castoff" is incredibly derogatory and disrespectful.

Fucking Keyboard Warrior........

This is incredibly ignorant and stupid. Have you ever listened to the CME podcast? Fowkles disagrees with stuff the UFC does all the time. To the point people think he and Chad Dundas are too critical and cynical. Especially when it comes to the way the UFC promotes certain things and how some of their business is done, or having too many guys on the roster and shows.

Do your homework before you start with the radical namecalling and internet temper tantrums.

Haulport - Fuck that joke of a "reporter" Ben calling FIGHTERS "castoffs". He is just another SHILL repeating what the Zuffa PR people tell him to say.

Fuck you Ben, why don't you get in the cage against Andrei and AJ and call them castoffs? If you want to say they where once with the UFC or Zuffa then call them "former" exclusively. Using the term "castoff" is incredibly derogatory and disrespectful.

Fucking Keyboard Warrior........

Ben Fowlkes is arguably the best writer in MMA at the moment.

I know you like to rail against all things Zuffa, but in all cases he mentioned except Arlovski(because he chose to leave), they are cast-offs. They got cut. Pretending otherwise because you hate big bad Zuffa doesn't change that fact.

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